Why a local cancer survivor and her family are so happy for Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift

Travis Kelce and Berkeley "Berk" Kemper made goofy faces together nine years ago.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Kemper — then a 6-year-old being treated for leukemia, which she would beat — posed together in 2014 for 15 photos published in a calendar promoting the fight against childhood cancer.

The two "goofed around and talked about all things kid-related," said her father, JB Kemper, who was with them.

"We were with Travis for the majority of the day, six to eight hours," Berk told The Capital-Journal. "We took pictures together, dressed each other up, made fun of one another and toured all of Arrowhead Stadium."

Kelce then gave a shout-out to Kemper, who lives just outside Topeka, in June 2014 on his Facebook page, describing her as "awesome" and saying "I love my job."

Kemper was 7 and still receiving treatment for leukemia when she and her mother attended Taylor Swift's 2015 Kansas City, Mo., concert carrying signs, one of which said Kemper had "Bad Blood" — the title of a song by Swift that topped the charts that year.

Kemper had hoped to meet Swift, although that didn't happen.

Now a 15-year-old sophomore at Washburn Rural High School, Kemper and her family are happy for Kelce and Swift after hearing the rumors that they are dating.

Being happy for Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift 'does zero harm'

Kemper's aunt, Topekan Courtney Kemper Sterbenz, took to Facebook Sunday to highlight what she described as her "obsession with Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift."

Sterbenz praised both celebrities as well as their mothers, Donna Kelce and Andrea Finlay.

"To me, there's something about these two (and their families) together that puts a huge smile on my face and literally makes my heart feel happy," she wrote.

Sterbenz asked that other social media users — instead of responding negatively when she and others post about Kelce and Swift — think about the possibility of deeper reasons why people may be excited for them or about them.

"It does zero harm for us to get excited about two incredibly talented and famous people and you can always 'scroll on by' if it's not something you like," she wrote.

'A lot of laughs' for Travis Kelce and Berkeley Kemper

Kemper was 5 and had just started kindergarten when she was diagnosed Oct. 29, 2013, with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, says "Berkeley's Battle," the Facebook page where her parents, JB and Tarah Kemper, tell her story.

"For the next two and a half years she battled through chemo treatments, and we worked to give her as many smiles and happy memories as we could," it says.

Kemper's parents said their advice for parents of children with cancer is to do their best not to look at the overall picture.

"Take it hour by hour, then day by day, week to week, etc.," JB Kemper said. "You'll feel scared, tired and alone at first, but you'll find yourself celebrating the small victories along the way and with that, it becomes the new normal."

At the time she met Kelce, Kemper's cancer had been in remission since December 2013, though she would continue to receive treatments until January 2016.

Kelce and Kemper appeared together in a 2015 calendar produced by a nonprofit group called Braden's Hope for Childhood Cancer.

The calendar featured Chiefs players posing with children who were either battling cancer or had beaten it, with sales proceeds going toward cancer research.

Her father brought her in April 2014 to Arrowhead Stadium, where Kelce took her around the facility and played catch with her.

"She wasn't starstruck and treated him just like a friend," JB Kemper said. "He did the same and treated her like a princess. They had so many laughs together."

The photo shoot was particularly enjoyable, JB Kemper said.

"Travis was very fun and had a ton of energy," he said. "They had a huge trunk filled with dress-up items. He was willing to let Berk put any and all accessories on him. Definitely a ton of laughter during the photo shoot."

Kemper also enjoyed walking through the tunnel that leads to the football field at Arrowhead.

"It was pretty overwhelming even when there's not 75,000 screaming fans!!" the Berkeley's Battle Facebook page said.

Kemper said that near the end of their time together, Kelce autographed a football for her, and she told him she couldn't read it because he had written his name in cursive.

Kemper gave the football back to Kelce, and he printed his name.

"We all started laughing together as he was printing his name next to his signature," JB Kemper said. "Might be the only ball in existence with his name printed and signed."

Though they haven't since talked to Kelce, JB Kemper said: "Berk and our family have been huge fans of the Chiefs and Kelce ever since that day. The Chiefs organization and players do a lot of great things for kids in the KC and surrounding areas."

Berkeley Kemper's brother also wears number 87

Kelce and Kemper appeared together in 15 photos that appeared in the calendar for the month of October 2015.

Family members thought that was special because October was Berkeley's diagnosis month, Sterbenz said.

October is his birthday month for Kelce, who turns 34 on Oct. 5.

Kemper has been considered cured since late 2018, by which time her cancer had been in remission for five years.

She has a younger brother, Brooks Kemper, who goes by the nickname "Bo."

He wears number 87, the same as Kelce, while playing football for Washburn Rural Middle School, Sterbenz said.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at 785-213-5934 or threnchir@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Shawnee County teen Berkeley Kemper recalls her day with Travis Kelce